I’m back!: Get to know Coach Donatell

Thanks to many of you for sending kind emails with regard to my recent absence from the blog. Simply put, I just took some time off but am back and eager to get things rolling here on a regular basis again.

So let’s start off with a bang…

I had lunch today with new Huskies defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and walked out of the Ram impressed with Tyrone Willingham‘s recent hire.

Donatell has an interesting way about him. He was curious about my background and, with all the football points he made, connected them to my experiences so I had a better understanding of what he was talking about. It quickly became apparent he is a superior communicator and a genuine guy.

Some of the topics we discussed:
* The reason he is a coach: Donatell said his Super Bowl rings (which he keeps in a safety deposit box) aren’t the measures of success. Rather, sharing success and achievements — be it improvement, growth or victories — is what it’s all about. He raved about connecting as a team, achieving as a team and experiencing team continuity and special relationships.

* His mentor: It’s Pete Carroll. He coached with the current USC coach at Pacific for one season, but served under Carroll (who was the Jets’ defensive coordinator and head coach) as defensive backs coach for six seasons. Donatell said Carroll’s sincerity, uniqueness of vision and his unwillingness to sway from his principles are the keys to Carroll’s success. He said Carroll taking the USC job was inspirational to him and something he thought of when he accepted the Huskies’ job.

* The 3-4: Donatell isn’t sure what the Huskies will run as a base in 2008. But fresh off a year-long tutorial on the 3-4 (as a special assistant with the Jets), Donatell is bursting with excitement and feels like the “cutting edge” stuff he learned from Eric Mangini (and Bryan Cox) will help the Huskies.

“I don’t know how I’m going to use it all yet, but I have it right here in my hip pocket,” Donatell said.

* Current players: Donatell is impressed with the team’s willingness to work and learn. He said the late-game losses in 2007 affected the defense’s confidence and he has a “series of tasks” that, should the players complete (or achieve), will help restore that confidence.

He has spent a lot of time watching last season’s games and is making sure his assessments of players are his own. He said he doesn’t want to hear if “so-and-so has 4.2 speed, I want to see what he can do in football situations” for himself.

* One end to another: Donatell brought up only one player by name: two-year starting end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. He likes the junior’s attitude and said Te’o-Nesheim should be an example to the Huskies in terms of work ethic and commitment.

Donatell coached someone else that he called an example — Seahawks end Patrick Kerney. (Donatell coachd Kerney when the two were at Atlanta from 2004-’06.)

Donatell recently introduced Te’o-Nesheim to Kerney and faded into the background so they could talk.

“It was amazing,” Te’o-Nesheim said of the recent sit-down with Kerney at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. “He knows everything. The first thing I asked him was about playing against a tight end. That’s always a good topic.”

Donatell said Te’o-Nesheim and Kerney play the “exact same position” and he felt Kerney could inspire Te’o-Nesheim as a player and leader.

* “The job is the same”: I asked Donatell if he will miss coaching in the NFL, where he has coached since 1990. I was surprised when he said, “No… because the job is the same.” He likened recruiting to player evaluation, mentioned the “CEO-aspect” of being a coach in the NFL and in college. He also said game preparation feels the same.

Another similarity? The parity in the NFL as compared to the Pac-10.

* The Huskies defensive staff: Donatell inherits a full staff that includes two holdovers from the Keith Gilbertson staff — linebackers coach Chris Tormey and line coach Randy Hart. There is also secondary coach J.D. Williams, who will begin his third season at UW this year.

Donatell said meshing with a new coaching staff isn’t difficult. He said he put together his own staff when he became the coordinator at Green Bay and merged with a Jim L. Mora-picked staff when he went to Atlanta.

“You should get better at it every time,” he said.

He said he respects the Huskies coaching staff and called the coaches “solid fundamental coaches. ” He also feels his communication skills will help when he seeks to make changes.

Be sure to check Tuesday’s P-I for a story on Donatell. It includes more from Te’o-Nesheim and more on Donatell’s relationship with Carroll.